ANNALS OF BIRD LIFE 



CHAPTER I. 



THE GLORIES OF THE SPRING. 



Come, gentle Spring ! ethereal Mildness, come ; 

 And from the bosom of yon dropping cloud, 

 While music wakes around, veil'd in a show'r 

 Of shadowing roses, on our plains descend. 



SPRING ! What a rich feast for the naturalist is 

 embodied in that one little word! It means to 

 him the awakening, as it were, into life of many 

 forms of animals and birds and plants. It means 

 unwonted activity in every domain of Nature, a 

 season of glad sounds and pleasant sights. All 

 creatures love the spring-time ; they vie with each 

 other in making merry on Nature's birthday. The 

 groves re-echo songs of gladness from countless 

 feathered throats ; insect life in endless variety 

 sallies forth with incessant hum ; flowers spring 

 up like magic from every wood and hedgerow ; 

 each tree and bush shows signs of returning 

 vitality ; and animals that have been lying snugly 



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